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History · West Chester

West Chester dates to 1872, and 59% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1973 on and the census since 1880.

1872founded
0on the National Register
59%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How West Chester began

When was West Chester founded?

1872

West Chester dates its founding to 1872 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 92 in 18802020 census: 144154 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1873.

What stands out about West Chester’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of West Chester are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of West Chester’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 253 in 1960; 144 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start West Chester’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how West Chester’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

West Chester, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of West Chester yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

West Chester is a city in Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 144 at the time of the 2020 census.

West Chester was established in 1872. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 146 in 2010, 144 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

People over time

West Chester, census by census

010020018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 253

Peaked at 253 in 1960; 144 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on West Chester’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

West Chester, 1872 to 1973

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872
    FoundingWest Chester is established
  3. 1873Post officeThe West Chester post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1913Born hereDick Crayne is born here
  6. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 253
  7. 1973On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

West Chester, decade by decade

Today3 recent
WestChesterIowaWelcomeSign2025WestChesterIowaWelcomeSignWestChesterIowaCommunityChurch2025WestChesterIowaCommunityChurchIAMap-doton-WestChester2004IAMap-doton-WestChester
On the map

West Chester on the map, 1973 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Chester. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

West Chester on the 1973 USGS mapWest Chester on the 1984 USGS map1973West Chester sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of West Chester.

Places that used to be

Places now gone

West Chester’s post office has been open since 1873.

Gone or out of use
West Chesterlocale

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about West Chester’s history

What year was West Chester founded?

In 1872, according to Wikidata. West Chester’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 1880 counted 92 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.